We're Still Here by Pat McPeak

We'Re StIlL HeRe

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWARD INTRODUCTION TIMELINE BUSINESSES RESIDENTS RECREATION CONSTRUCTION RELIEF POLITICS AFTERWARD

6 8 10 14 32 48 60 76 88 100

FOREWARD

Superstorm Sandy hit on October 29, 2012. The storm caused about $30 billion in damages to New Jersey, making it the second most expensive hurricane in the history of the United States. New Jersey suffered 37 casualties of the country’s total 149. It is not so difficult to remember Sandy since it occurred less than two years ago. There are numerous other hurricanes that have affected New Jersey and neighboring states along the east coast in the past. During the height of World War II in 1944, The Great Atlantic Hurricane, a category 3 hurricane, struck. The storm caused 9 civilian deaths and $25 million in damages. Coupled with marines out at sea, the storm actually claimed 390 lives. It was kept fairly quiet until after the war because most of the deaths were U.S. sailors. Barreling winds reached 125 mph along with the 40-foot waves that took out most of the boardwalks and demolished the piers. To provide relief, several hotels were even turned into hospitals. The next big storm was Hurricane Donna in the summer of 1960. There were no direct deaths in New Jersey caused by the storm, but there was a surge of six feet along with 105 mph winds. Due to property damage, this was one of the worst storms of the time to hit the United Sates. Hurricane Gloria in 1985 was anticipated to be exponentially more damaging than it turned out to be. The storm caused 237,000 homes to lose power but the overall destruction was minor. New Jersey was fortunate to only receive about 5 inches of rainfall before the hurricane took a slight turn. The Perfect Storm of 1991, also known as the Halloween Nor’easter caused $90 million in damage. Strong waves and winds eroded the beaches and flooded the bays. Wave heights measured over 100 feet. This particular storm was unique in that it absorbed Hurricane Grace, which was

forming off the coast of Florida. The storm was coined ‘The Perfect Storm” because the circumstances leading up to it will only happen every 50-100 years. It needed a perfect balance of a low and high-pressure system. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd hit the east coast. Extreme winds and 13 inches of rainfall caused 650,000 people to lose power as the storm made landfall. About 57 deaths resulted from the hurricane. On August 28, 2011 Hurricane Irene struck the east. This was the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey since 1903. The storm’s rainfall led to extreme flooding in some of the state’s rivers, and another storm followed in the beginning of September, which created even more flooding. There were about 50 casualties and around $17 billion in damages. Superstorm Sandy is the worst storm ever recorded to affect the state of New Jersey. It caused damage to the Barnegat Peninsula, Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island, Hoboken, and the Raritan Bay. Many of the homes and businesses are still recovering from Sandy. New regulations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are requiring residents to raise their homes about 12 feet. Many residents are still without homes or are just moving into newly built or bought homes. On December 12, 2012 a relief concert was held at Madison Square Garden. Artists such as The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, and The Who were just a few of the performers. So far, $73 million has been raised for the 400 organizations dedicated to helping New Jersey recover.

INTRODUCTION There is no doubt that Hurricane Sandy battered the East Coast. Billions of dollars in damage was done, more than one hundred people died and the once popular vacation resorts of the New Jersey shore were reduced to shells of their former glory. The storm may be over but the damage still continues to make the lives of those who call â&#x20AC;&#x153;the shoreâ&#x20AC;? their home difficult. The rebuilding has been constant but residents are still struggling to make ends meet. Although the media has seemingly moved on to different topic, there are still thousands of residents who are still suffering. Even though they are suffering, they are still here and they are still proud to call New Jersey home. Before the storm, meteorologists, emergency officials and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie warned residents that the incoming storm was going to be destructive. Many residents heeded the warning but some were steadfast in their resolve to stay in their homes. The previous year, a smaller Hurricane, Irene, had failed to live up to predictions that gave residents a false sense of security with Sandy inbound. On October 29th, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the heart of the northern shore towns. By the next day, irreparable damages had been done. Boardwalks ripped from their pylons, houses and business flooded, storm gates rendered useless and the icon Jet-Star rollercoaster sank to the floor of the Atlantic, jutting above the waves as a symbol of New Jersey after the storm. It has been 521 days since the storm struck New Jersey and New York. Many people have moved onto new interests but there are thousands of New Jersey residents still struggling to get back on their feet. The stories they are living are developing each day and with many of them not receiving checks from FEMA or insurance companies, each day gets longer and longer. These stories are still happening and until New Jersey rebuilds they will continue to develop. These stories are contained in these pages. - Patrick McPeak

TIMELINE OF THE STORM

OCTOBER 22 2012 National Weather Service changes the classification of the storm: Tropical Storm 18 becomes superstorm Sandy, advisories are given along the East Coast of the United States.

OCTOBER 26 2012 Cape May officials advise residents to evacuate, the order is not yet mandatory.

OCTOBER 29 2012 Superstorm Sandy hits. Two fifty- people Disaster Medical Attention Teams set up triage centers in New Jersey. New York receives 139 ambulances, and later another 211 were deployed at the state’s request.

OCTOBER 25 2012

OCTOBER 28 2012

Superstorm Sandy hits Cuba as a category three hurricane. American Red Cross encourages New Yorkers to download app for superstorm Sandy tips. App featured shelter locations, flashlight, strobe, alarm, and ‘I’m safe’ button to communicate to family if separation occurs.

Evacuation becomes mandatory. Over 1,032 FEMA personnel deployed along East Coast to support disaster operations including search and rescue and communications. Mobile Emergency Response

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NOVEMBER 3 2012 U.S. death toll for superstorm Sandy is reported 109, at least 40 recorded in New York City alone.

NOVEMBER 1 2012 Chris Christie lifts mandatory evacuation orders in Atlantic and Cape May counties. It took up to three weeks for island residents to be allowed back and comb through their destroyed homes.

JANUARY 28 2013 Senate passes $50.5 billion Hurricane Sandy package, initially the bill was severley delayed because of unrelated pork barreling.

JANUARY 6 2013 Hurricane Sandy relief bill enacted by the senate. Amended the National Flood Insurance act of 1968 to increase borrowing authority of FEMA in order to provide more relief.

SEPTEMBER 12 2013 Fire in Seaside Heights on the boardwalk destroys iconic Funtown Pier, which had been hard hit by superstorm Sandy (yielding the iconic photograph of the roller coaster sitting in the ocean).

WE’RE STILL HERE

THE STORM On October 22, 2013, superstorm Sandy formed, and for the next week it was set on a track of destruction along the Caribbean and United States’ mid-Atlantic coast. Unfortunately, the warnings that were set in place before the storm hit, were not enough to prepare for what was to come. When Sandy first developed in the Caribbean, it was moderately weak and was only considered a tropical depression. But as the day went on, the storm began moving northward and gaining strength. According to The Weather Channel Online, on Oct. 23, 2012 the storm reached wind speeds of 60mph and Jamaica and Cuba were issued hurricane warnings. The following day, Sandy was officially named a hurricane, and made its first landfall near Kingston, Jamaica with wind speeds up to 80 mph. By that afternoon parts of Florida were issued tropical storm warnings. By Oct. 25, the hurricane hit eastern Cuba and moved into the Bahamas. The east coast was preparing for what they called a potential “superstorm.” First evacuation orders were made in New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. The following day, these states all declared states of emergency.

Sandy swept across the southeastern coast, with the eye of the storm mostly over water. On the morning of Oct. 27, Sandy weakened to a tropical storm, but a mere few hours later became a hurricane yet again. While the eye of the storm stayed off the coast, the Carolinas were inundated with heavy rain and wracked by wind gusts, and coastal flooding. By the night of Oct. 28, “Sandy’s tropical storm-force wind field had mushroomed to more than 900 miles in diameter,” says The Weather Channel. As Sandy made its way over New York and New Jersey, it hit peak winds of 90 mph, on Oct. 29. The New Jersey coasts, as well as parts of New York, were seeing heavy flooding damages including, “flooded tunnels and subways,” The Weather Channel reported at the time. The next morning the amount of destruction was all too obvious for the residents along the affected coasts. Boardwalks were crushed and many homes were left in ruins. Many news outlets had published warnings in articles and broadcasts through out the week, with guidance on how to prepare for such a storm. - Kelsey Dubinsky

BUSINESSES

WALLACE HARDWARE: BETTER PREPARED PHIL CONINE and EMILY GANSER THAN MOST

During the summer months, the New Jersey shore is bombarded with tourists. They are mostly from Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, although license plates hailing from other parts of the country are not uncommon. Whether it’s a day trip with friends, or an extended stay at a shore house; the Jersey shore is constantly populated and local businesses reap the benefit. Millions of consumers flock to t-shirt shops, pizza parlors, fudge factories, and mini-golf courses for summer-time fun. But, many of these shore towns and communities are home to year-round residents and business owners. In late October of 2012 an approaching storm, Sandy, put the economy of the Jersey Shore at risk. Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29th, 2012. According to the financial analysis firm IHS Global Insight, an estimated $30 to 50 billion of business were lost. Even though the storm did its damage during the offseason, most were not ready to run before the full swing of the summer tourism season was upon them. Along with demolition, rebuilding costs, and loss of merchandise, the superstorm created a devastating effect on businesses along the shore. Wallace Hardware located at 751 West Ave, Ocean City New Jersey took storm preparation seriously. Prior to the storm, the owners purchased a lot right behind their original location and designed a storefront that could handle

the floodwaters. Floodgates and sloped floors make the warehouse-like storefront a good place for storage during a storm. Luckily, Mike and Dawn, the owners of Wallace Hardware, prepared well. Due to their intense preparations, they saved most of their merchandise. After the storm receded, Wallace Hardware became a destination for people looking for supplies and tools for cleanup and home repair. Despite flooding and power outages, Wallace Hardware managed to make record amounts of money. “The second day after the storm, the power went off…I had customers and merchandise but no power and I still did $800 in sales on that day. It didn’t stop for a couple of months”, Mike said. Unlike other off-seasons, Mike and Dawn made more money than they would in the weeks following the storm than in the summer months. “Normally we get a little bit of down-time in January and February… we have not really had downtime yet since the storm between people still tearing down houses or repairing houses.” Although Wallace Hardware made it out of the storm relatively unscathed, many other businesses, like Mario’s Pizza, are still struggling. Reports say that Mario’s Pizza finally opened back up for business on March 27th, 2014. This was the longest time this particular business had to close since they first opened their doors in 1979.

Some businesses blame the wait on insurance companies being slow to follow up with claims, and others blame Governor Christie’s plan of action stating the politicians do not realize how devastating it was to business and how hard it is to get back on their feet. 17 months after the storm, the New Jersey Main Street Alliance, a small business advocacy group gathered outside of Governor Christie’s Belmar town house to express their disapproval over the claimed $85 million in unspent Hurricane Sandy relief grants. Christie defended the state by saying the demand from the business community for more dispersal of grants was not as strong as it needed to be. Inside town hall, Christie heard more tales of struggling businesses and more upset and angry owners who are tired of waiting for their money. Governor Christie has acknowledged there have been problems with the recovery and has reassured residents and business owners that he will continue to listen to and try to rectify their concerns.

The shelves of Wallace Hardware are fully stocked with painting supplies. (EMILY GANSER)

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Wallace Hardware experienced a boom in business after the storm. (PHIL CONINE)

Although the storm had water up to two feet, Wallace Hardware had their best year in sales after the storm hit. (EMILY GANSER)

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The backdoor of a house in Ocean City, NJ proudly displays that it is Popâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Garage. (MAGGIE ANDRESEN)

STAYING AFLOAT: THE STORY OF THE SEAHORSE HOTEL CHARLOTTE JACOBSON

When superstorm Sandy hit in October 2012, 346,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed. These homeowners were forced to find alternate locations to live in during the renovation and rebuilding process. Resident and owner of the Seahorse Motel, Elena Loures was hit doubly as hard. Loures has lived on the ground floor of her motel in Brant Beach, Long Beach Island with her two sons for about ten years. “They didn’t let us in [to the island] until two weeks later, so it stunk real bad. So what we had to do was throw everything out. We couldn’t save anything. So then we had to rip all of the sheet rock up, all of the floors had to come up,” Loures explained. “Then we had to get contractors in and just start everything again from scratch.” The Seahorse Motel was ready to open for the summer of 2013, unlike many other homes and hotels along the New Jersey shore. After superstorm Sandy, there was an estimated $950 million tourism spending loss, $287.2 million of which was a decrease from hotels and lodging. This was the most affected aspect of tourism in New Jersey, leaving many rental homes and hotels without occupants for much of the summer. In some cases during the aftermath of the storm, hotels had high occupancy during a normally slow period because of FEMA (Federal

Emergency Management Agency) occupants and displaced residents. Loures had three steadily occupied rooms, these people stayed in the motel month-to-month during renovations. Another 10-12 rooms were filled with people who returned to the island on weekends for construction purposes. Although the hotel occupancy seemed to increase in the months directly following the superstorm, the 2013 summer rentals were much lower than the prior summer. “There were rumors that like, if you went in the ocean you were going to get hit by a refrigerator or something,” Loures said. “I think people didn’t know what to expect, so they were afraid to come and spend their money.” In the four shore counties—Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean—the tourist spending amounted to over $19 billion in 2012. This is more than half of the state’s total tourism sales. By the end of March 2013, rentals were off by 30 percent for the upcoming summer. “So last year after the 4th of July, it was absolutely dead. There was nobody here, which was weird,” Loures said. “That’s never happened before. It actually felt like it was after Labor Day and everyone had gone back to school.” Apart from Long Beach Island, other shore town hotels and motels did not fill enough rooms for the summer. Just after the storm, Atlantic City lost at least

nine conventions, accounting for 23,000 cancelled hotel room reservations. Without the right amount of income from tourists, hotel and motel owners are in desperate need of money to ensure their businesses are up to the proper standards. “My insurance—I got a lot, but not enough. What they do is they tell you what got damaged and how much it would be to repair, and then they take away for depreciation. Thank goodness I have personal money that I put in myself. I put in a loan for FEMA and they refused me,” Loures said. “I also applied for a $50,00 grant, and I’m still waiting to hear on that. “ Many hotels, motels and rental home owners, like Loures, are stuck waiting to receive their insurance or grant money for the damages they suffered. Until then, they must rely on the hope that the upcoming summer of 2014 will prove prosperous. “I’m anticipating a good summer because I have a lot of weddings in June. So compared to last year it’s going to be a busy June,” Loures said. “I think it’s going to be a busier summer. I’m praying. “

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SEASIDE BUSINESS OWNERS STAY OPTIMISTIC CHARLOTTE JACOBSON DURING RENOVATIONS

Theresa Petaccio’s father built the original Funtown Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. He died just three months before superstorm Sandy hit, and a year before the pier burned down. The Petaccio family has owned Sonny’s and Rickey’s Arcade on the boardwalk at Sumner Ave for four generations. The entirety of the Seaside Heights boardwalk was demolished from the extreme flooding and winds. Many business owners came back to their stores to find their livelihoods in shambles. “Here [at the arcade] we brought the metal doors down, we had plywood and all the machines lined up and backed up to the door,” Petaccio explained. “It got just shoved right in—it was unbelievable.” Next door to Petaccio’s arcade is another long-time family business, Maruca’s Pizza, owned by brothers Domenic and Joseph Maruca. The pizza shop was originally located between Dupont and Porter Avenues on the boardwalk. Although there were no damages at their first shop, the hurricane uncovered some legal issues with the property, forcing the brothers to move. “We moved into a nicer location, a much bigger space,” Domenic Maruca said. “We were there for 5 months and then the place burned down in October. It was a shot in the stomach. It hurt.” Now, nearly 18 months after the storm hit, there is still much work to be done. Luckily, Seaside Heights has the reputation of a very close-knit community. Every person, whether they were a business owner or just a townsperson, joined together to revitalize their small town as quickly as possible.

“Everyone got together and said look, what are we gonna do? We have to help each other. We can’t just be alone,” Petaccio said. “So we really did all get together to try and fight all the paperwork and the other obstacles that got in our way.” Even while renovations were taking place, some businesses found ways to continue gaining income, in order to decrease their losses during this time. Vinny Scuzzese, owner of several game stands along Seaside Heights boardwalk, found that he could run both his balloon game and his ball toss game out of the parking lot behind the boardwalk. “The people were walking the street because they couldn’t walk the boardwalk,” Scuzzese explained. “People that wouldn’t normally play a game would play the game.” Danny Merk, owner of the Shore Store (made famous as the local employer of the cast from MTV’s Jersey Shore) on the north end of Seaside Heights was hit doubly as hard, with both his store and his home being completely destroyed by the hurricane. “I spent all of my savings, I spent all of my Jersey Shore money [from MTV]. Me and my wife, we were literally homeless,” Merk described. “We stayed with her parents over in Tom’s River, while we are working on our house now trying to get it finished. Hopefully we’ll move into it in a couple weeks. But it was tough, we spent everything. Now we’re just waiting for the insurance money to come back.” Merk, like many other Seaside business owners had insurance on their businesses, but have yet to see any of the money. The damages on the Shore Store tossed Merk $450,000 into debt. Much of

that money he will not see until 2017, he says. “They [the state government] made it clear to us that there were funds available in the form of loans and/or grants. It’s a process, which we’re currently in the middle of doing right now,” Joseph Maruca explained. “But nothing was given to us. Some of the media is portraying that we’ve been handed checks, and that’s not the case.“ Even though many businesses were able to reopen their doors for the summer of 2013, some of them saw a decline in business due to a lack of tourists and visitors deciding to visit the shore. “We only opened like three months last summer, when I’m normally open like seven months of the year, and weekends in the winter. Three months is tough to make money,” Scuzzese explained. “But this year we’ll have a full year, hopefully everyone will come down and support us.” The word on the boardwalk is that Casino Pier will be rebuilt and open by Memorial Day of this year. While the goal is also to have the Funtown Pier and the rest of the southern boardwalk built for this summer, it is predicted to take until the summer of 2015 to be fully reopened. “It will never be what it used to be,” Petaccio admits. “It’ll be different. It’ll be better, we hope.”

“It’ll be different. It’ll be better, we hope.”

A family tries their luck at a water gun game at Game Owner’s rebuilt game business. (RANDI RAE FAIR)

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Theresa Petaccio stands outside of Sonny’s and Rickey’s Arcade. The arcade has been in her family for years. All of her famous arcade machines were completely ruined by the superstorm. (CHARLOTTE JACOBSON)

Vinny Scuzzese, owner of three game stands along Seaside Heights points down to the location of the fire. Vinny lost one of his game stands at the southern end of the boardwalk. (CHARLOTTE JACOBSON)

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Domenic Maruca, owner of Marucaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizza, recalls details from the first few days after the storm. Residents were bussed in and escorted by the National Gaurd. (CHARLOTTE JACOBSON)

The Shore Store, owned and operated by Danny Merk, originally got it’s fame from hosting employee’s from the MTV reality show, The Jersey Shore. Merk is currently $450,000 in debt due to insurance not paying out yet. (KAT STELLATO)

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After losing much of Casino Pier to Hurricane Sandy, and Funtown Pier to the fire, Seaside Heights has been dealt a tough hand in the past 18 months. Construction companies have been diligently working to restoring businesses for this upcoming summer. (CHARLOTTE JACOBSON)

RESIDENTS

MEET THE “MAYOR”: GARY MAC OF SEASIDE HEIGHTS COURTNEY MARABELLA

Gary Mac is known as “the mayor of Seaside.” This is evident as he walks down the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Everyone seems to know him. People call out to him, asking how his family is. He does the same back to them. Gary knows the owners of all the boardwalk attractions; arcades, restaurants, games. Even as he sits, stagnant, unmoving on a bench, people seek him out just to shake his hand and say hello. It seems odd that one person could have so many connections, but then, it just goes to show how tight-knit these shore communities like Seaside Heights are. Gary has deep roots in Seaside Heights. He has lived in the area for over 50 years. Back when he was a child his father owned a hotel on Dupont Avenue and other members of his family owned a popular mini-golf course. Given his strong ties to the area, it is easy to see why he felt the need to help as much as possible after Seaside suffered tragedy after tragedy, starting with superstorm Sandy, which destroyed much of the area, and ending with the September fire which burned down the famous Fun Town section of the boardwalk. Gary, along with the construction company he works for, Corrozza Construction, began refurbishment on the Seaside Heights boardwalk just a couple of weeks after the storm hit. They started by cleaning all of the debris and sand out

of the buildings and soon moved on to rebuilding and renovating, providing painting and carpentry services. They

Seaside suffered tragedy after tragedy, starting with superstorm Sandy. have been working since the storm hit and still have not completed the process. Since the storm, Gary has watched and contributed as the Seaside community attempts to rebuild itself into the New Jersey institution it once was. It has, however, been a long and difficult road. One of the hindrances Gary sees is fellow residents dealing with insurance companies who are just not paying up. Some primary residents have yet to receive their payments, and secondary residents, those with summer homes, are having an even more difficult time. And as far as construction on the boardwalk, he sees prices skyrocketing. Gary said replacing the famous roller coaster that ended up in the ocean will cost double what the ride was originally worth.

Gary also mentioned the fire, adding that dealing with that on top of all of the other damage made the healing process all the more difficult. Just when things started to improve, the town was immediately taken back to square one. He says that construction is moving along more swiftly in the last few weeks, now that the brunt of the harsh winter weather is passed. Casino pier will apparently be opened to the public by Memorial Day this year. As for Fun Town, he sees that taking another couple of years or so. Although they have been through hell and back, Gary has faith that the residents of Seaside Height will prevail. They have gone through a lot but the worst is over, now all that’s left is to rebuild. Thankfully, they have seen an overwhelming amount of support from loyal Seaside vacationers. Gary has seen many people come to the boardwalk to support local businesses, knowing the hardships they’ve been through. People frequent the restaurants more often, and play the games instead of just passing by. Even those who are just there for the so called “Sandy tour,” people who go merely to see the destruction in the areas, find themselves charmed into a water gun game or two. Gary estimates that it will take at least 4 to 5 years for Seaside Heights to get back to what it used to be.

Joseph Maruca sits down with Gary Mac to discuss summer business ventures at his pizzeria in the middle of the famous boardwalk at Seaside Heights. (CHARLOTTE JACOBSON)

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The Midway Steak House is the landmark that most vistors use to distinguish how far theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gone down the boardwalk. This will be the first season that Midway will be open after the storm. (PATRICK MCPEAK)

Seaside Heights became nationally famous with the MTV show, “The Jersey Shore.” Many viewers were offended by the Italian-American stereotypes.. (PATRICK MCPEAK)

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The Seaside Heights boardwalk still has plenty of games for family fun. Originally, the games operators were set-up on the street side the summer after the storm. (CHARLOTTE JACOBSON)

THE ROCKAWAYS ROCK AGAIN AFTER THE SUPERSTORM SUSAN DONG

On Oct. 29, 2012, superstorm Sandy shocked many parts of the east coast with its force and resulting devastation. One of the places that received a brutal amount of damage was the Rockaway Peninsula in New York. The storm displaced many residents in the area and those who stuck around, dealt with even greater hardships. “We were here during the storm. The water came in the house. Destroyed everything, It’s a year and a half later and we’re still not finished repairing. We never left, we’re living in the house, we spent two months with no heat, no hot water [and] no electric. We’ve been trying to recoup ever since and it’s not been easy,” Marie said, a Rockaways resident that stayed on the peninsula during the storm. Residents like Marie relied on the aid and support of organizations and programs such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and New York City’s “Build It Back Program,” which promised assistance for homeowners, landlords, and tenants affected by the superstorm within the five boroughs of New York City. This program covers multiple things such as repair, house lifiting, rebuilding of damaged homes, reimbursement for the repair work already carried out and the acquisition of damaged homes. These organizations and programs fell short of the local residents’ expectations and financial needs.

“They took a lot of information but who knows if and when and FEMA was very minimal. They only paid for a boiler and a hot water tank. That was it,” Marie said. Many of the residents who did not get the necessary help they needed from these disaster relief programs and organizations also faced another problem when dealing with the insurance companies. They felt the companies were being insensitive in a situation where residents sometimes lost everything they had. The combination of this insensitivity and the lack of care the residents felt from those who did not experience the storm is a major catalyst that fueled the resentment that many locals feel toward these companies and the city as a whole.

“The insurance companies pretty much screwed everyone” “The insurance companies pretty much screwed everyone and they’re still waiting for all of the money the state supposedly delegated to the victims and none of that has been dispersed yet so if you didn’t have the means to fix things on your own

you’re in trouble. Which is why you see so many properties for sale,” A local resident, Jenn said. Business owner Denise Dieam owns a local gift shop called, “The Gift is Love,” that is now next to three vacant storefronts due to the damage from superstorm Sandy. Dieam feels the only way a victim of the storm can get back on their feet is to either have been lucky enough to have bought flood insurance or had enough money in personal savings to rebuild what they lost. Even though superstorm Sandy took place almost a year and a half ago, the community is still slowly recovering and to this day, many of the residents that were displaced are still trying to put the pieces back together along with the many shopkeepers who are struggling to regaining their former businesses. “It was something I never dreamed would happen, and never expected it to be what it was, and it was just unbelievable,” Rockaways resident Jane O’Neill said. “We had to move out. We were in Brooklyn for three months.” Although most of the local residents who experienced the destruction of superstorm Sandy felt like they were let down, forgotten and never received official help, the community as a whole has been strengthened by the disaster. “The Rockaways is a very special place and people really came together and thank God for that because nobody else seemed to really care that

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Reconstruction of housing areas in the Rockaways is still in progress today. (SUSAN DONG)

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Homes on Beach 130th Street are in the process of being redeveloped after the destruction from Hurricane Sandy and a fire... (ALEXIS WRIGHT-WHITLEY)

Although many homes were destroyed by the superstorm and a resulting fire, many residents decided to rebuild bigger houses than they previously had. (ALEXIS WRIGHT-WHITLEY)

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Big blue fencing blocks off a construction site on Beach 130 Street. Hard hats are required on site by OSHA (ALEXIS WRIGHT-WHITLEY)

To this day many local residents are still trying to move back to the Rockaway Peninsula. The ones that are coming back are moving into communities that are still unfinished and far from recovered. Newly finished houses still sit next to empty lots and pending construction on Saturday, March 22, 2014 (SUSAN DONG)

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Homes continue to go up in the Rockaways a year and half after the storm. For many residents this was frsutrating getting insurance money from the insurance companies. (ALEXIS WRIGHT-WHITLEY)

RECREATION

THE STORY OF THE SURF: NEW JERSEY’S SHAKEN UP SURF PATRICK CULTURE MCPEAK

When it comes to surfing many people might think of places like Mavericks, Pipeline, Bali and Maui. These spots on the west coast and in Hawaii offer some of the best surf in the world. The Vans Triple Crown Championship, the so-called “Super Bowl” of surfing, wrapped up at the end of November at Pipeline with the Billabong Pipe Masters competition in Hawaii. Most people think California and Hawaii for American surf destinations, but what about New Jersey? It is typically known that New Jersey doesn’t have world-class surf. The closest thing that most east coast surfers get to Pipeline or Mavericks happens off the coast of New York’s Long Island, where only three locals have ever made it onto the professional scene. While surfing storms has always been a test of bravery, Hurricane Sandy proved far too destructive not only to the towns along the coast but also to what was left of New Jersey’s good surf spots. In order to examine how the hurricane affected the surf, the nature of surfing must be understood. Waves are created when an ocean swells against what is called a break. Breaks are naturally occurring obstacles to the sea such as rocks, coral reefs or headlands. These harder breaks give way to massive surf not normally found on the east coast. Breaks change naturally during the winter due to tidal shifts, but they are never violently changed like they

were in October of 2012. Since virtually all of New Jersey’s breaks are sand based, the extreme tidal shifts of Hurricane Sandy destroyed some of New Jersey’s most famous breaks. This created a lot of heartache for surfers but some were surprisingly hopeful. Tracy Simons manages Surf Unlimited in Ship Bottom, NJ in the heart of one of New Jersey’s favorite shore destinations, Long Beach Island. “Hurricanes are usually bad news because they move around a lot of the breaks,” Simons said. “Although the ones that were here two summers ago were gone some new ones have formed and they still give us some decent surf.” Simons was happy to talk about surfing at the bitter end of winter, an especially cold one for New Jersey. “This place is like one big hang out,” she said. “People walk right in from off the beach and just sit down on the couch like they live here. It’s even harder

“People walk right in from off the beach and just sit down on the couch like they live here.”

Although New Jersey was hit hard by the Hurricane, there has been a great sense of camaraderie that has emerged after the storm destroyed most of the shore points. Jetty Apparel is a New Jersey based surf apparel company that has taken the opportunity to give New Jersey residents something to be proud of. Since they already had the facilities to produce clothes and stickers, they have almost completely narrowed their focus on a “United & Rebuild” campaign. Along Long Beach Island Boulevard, there are not many cars with a surfboard on top that does not sport a Jetty sticker on the bumper. New Jersey surf may not be the same as the “pounders” that happen at the Lower Trestles or Mavericks but there is one thing that is evident, New Jersey surfers are always going to come back for more. Just like any good surf set, they will come in after one more good wave or until they cannot get their legs to whip one last backfin carve over a beautiful lip. New Jersey may have been broken by the waves and winds but no matter how hard the state gets barreled, it can almost be certain they are going to paddle out for more.

to get them out now since we just put in a keggerator.”

A surfer heads back to the shore on Long Beach Island on Saturday March 22, 2014. (HARRISON BRINK)

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Waves crash at the tip of an erosion barrier at the beach in Holgate. Hurricane Sandy sped up the natural process ten fold. (PATRICK MCPEAK)

Jetty Apparel, a New Jersey based surfing apparel company, has started making stickers and clothing to support their “unite & rebuild” effort. A Subaru sports one of the popular stickers on it’s rear windshield. (PATRICK MCPEAK)

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Dangerous conditions signs are posted all around the beaches in Holgate. Some brave surfers walked right past the signs and paddled out to take advantaged of some spring surf. (PATRICK MCPEAK)

COMMUTING 1,000 MILES TO WORK MARISSA NICOLE PINA

Some people drive five minutes, 1 hour, or even 4 hours to work. Others might work from home but others’ chosen mode of transportation could be a plane. Steve Mattocks, owner of Lucky’s Games Inc., flies almost 1,000 miles from home in Florida, in order to work at the Jersey shore. Lucky’s is situated along the Jenkinson boardwalk in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. The two game stands are just a few that call to beach goers and residents alike. Mattocks stocks up on products that are hot on the market per season and along with other game stand owners and operators, calls out to patrons passing by. Being a resident of Florida for most of his life, and even now in the off-season, Mattocks is no stranger to strong hurricanes. He lived in Florida during one of the most major hurricanes almost 20 years ago. “You had Andrew pass through, with strong rains and winds and steel girders on signs that were bent over in half, steel girders,” said Mattocks about Hurricane Andrew.

Mattocks also referenced to the “Perfect Storm” that hit the Jersey shore back in 1991, also known as the Halloween Nor’easter. This storm rocked the shore and left businesses with tons of damage that needed to be repaired. Mattocks had to rebuild his businesses after that storm, however he said he was never prepared for the level of destruction he had seen after superstorm Sandy. “With Sandy, there was an entire hole in the back of my buildings, sand filled up and the building was lifted higher than it usually is. It was clear that this was going to be a hell of a lot harder,” said Mattocks.

“...there was an entire hole in the back of my buildings...” After the storm, the boardwalk in Point Pleasant was ravaged to the point of almost complete deconstruction. However, Mattocks recalled how

a few months after the storm hit, that businesses were able to rebuild. Governor Chris Christie commissioned the rebuilding and appropriation of funds to businesses in Point Pleasant. Mattocks also stated that it was helpful to be a part of a privately owned boardwalk versus a public one. “The folks up a Seaside Heights had a tough time rebuilding as fast as we did because we are a privately owned boardwalk, where as seaside is public. They had to wait a longer time to get the funds in order to rebuild,” said Mattocks. Due to the quick action taken by the Jenkinson family and Chris Christie, the Point Pleasant boardwalk was able to return to its former glory in time for the summer season of 2013 after the storm. However, it took a lot of time, effort and money. Business owners like Mattocks agree, if another Sandy hits the boardwalk again, they won’t be able to reopen again.

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The game owner, Steve Mattocks awards a young girl with a stuffed giraffe after she won a game. (RANDI RAE FAIR)

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Business has been steady since game owner rebuilt his business after Hurricane Sandy. (RANDI RAE FAIR)

CONSTRUCTION

REBUILDING HIS DREAM: CHUCK SLATER OF SHIP BOTTOM MAGGIE ANDRESEN

Long Beach Island Boulevard, was quiet on Saturday, March 22, 2014. A man hammered the side of a hollow-framed house. Two other men entered and left the under-construction residence periodically for tools. Surrounded by rubble and neighboring an equally gutted house, the air was still save the steady pounding of a hammer, the occasional hum of a power tool and the voice of the homeowner. “Chuck Slater,” the man introduced himself. “And this is my house.” Slater had never worked on a construction project before superstorm Sandy destroyed his summer home, leaving four feet of water in the house and a disheveled pile of debris surrounding it. “We actually found fish under the house,” Slater said, before he began lifting his home. Post-Sandy, insurance companies covering homes in the Jersey Shore area began raising insurance costs twenty-five percent annually if they did not lift their homes. “It prevents the degree of damage done from Sandy from something like it happening a second time,” Slater said. After the superstorm hit, Slater came down from his permanent home in Bergen County, New Jersey, to evaluate the damage done. “The people who live around here are older, retired, their houses are paid off. I’m here doing

my own work, but other people are still waiting for something to happen.” Almost immediately after the majority of the debris collection was over and roads were safe to drive on, Slater began rebuilding. He has been working for over a year, and estimated about six months until construction is finished for good. It would have taken up to six months for Slater to obtain building permits, which was not quick enough for him. “Insurance only would have covered seventy-five percent of the damage done, I thought, why not rebuild myself and take on any hiring costs I would have had to pay out.” Inside the gutted home, small piles of sawdust gathered around construction supplies. A nearby radio crooned out Mick Jagger’s voice on “Street-Fighting Man” while accompaniment from hammers and a band saw came from other areas of the one-story home. “Jerry, Al, and Bill are helping me re-build,” said Slater. “They’re my friends, Bill’s my brother-in-law, they come down weekends same as me.” None of them have a background in construction; all of their first efforts have been in the reconstruction of Slater’s beach home. In response to an inquiry about general safety after the storm, Slater responded, “They had SWAT and military men here for a while, to order

things. There was a lot of looting though, always is after a disaster. I was afraid that during the time I was in Northern Jersey, people would be around my house, so I bought some fake video cameras that blinked red lights, really believable. They really worked, so I got cocky and left some copper wiring by the curb- it was gone the next time I checked.” The ultimate take-away from this project, Slater says, is how he has been able to do something he never thought he would have to, and how much he’s enjoyed it. “I’m a salesman, it’s

“I want to go home.”

my day job, but now I get to change this living room to cathedral ceilings. I get to change what I want, and keep other things the same.” On Sunday, Slater spoke again about the challenges he faced during the superstorm, hammering nails into a window as he spoke. He was rushed, short, and less forthcoming. “I can give you guys five minutes, but honestly I got to get this done. I want to go home.”

Alfred Joks, the brother-in-law of Chuck Slater, sprays sealing foam into the space between the window and it’s frame. Sealing foam helps reduce drafts and insulates the window better. (HUA ZONG)

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Tools found in Chuck Slaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Long Beach Island summer home on Sunday March 23, 2014. (HARRISON BRINK)

Chuck Slater and a friend inspect the outside of Slater’s summer home on Long Beach Island on Sunday March 23, 2014. (HARRISON BRINK)

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Brand new rafters line the inside of the roof of Chuck Slaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ship Bottom house. More than 75% of the insurance money that Slater has recieved has gone to rebuilding. (HUA ZONG)

Alfred Joks, Slater’s brothers in law, prepares to climh a ladder to tighten braces on the brand new rafters in Slater’s Ship Bottom house. (HUA ZONG)

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Slaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house on Long Beach Island that is being repaired and raised after Hurricane Sandy as seen on Sunday March 23, 2014. (HARRISON BRINK)

NJ-BASED HOUSING DEVELOPER AIMS TO HELP SANDY VICTIMS COURTNEY MARABELLA In the wake of superstorm Sandy, thousands of New Jersey homeowners were left displaced. House after house was wiped out, leaving residents with no place to go. Even now, more than a year and a half later, some of these homeowners remain displaced. Some bounce around from relative to relative, some have taken shelter in military bases, such as Fort Monmouth, and some have even stayed in shore town motels all this time. While the process to rebuild these houses has been slow, there are programs in effect designed to help these people in need. One program in particular, called the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) program, is sponsored by the state’s Department of Community Affairs and offers primary homeowners grants of up to $150,000, plus any insurance money they have recouped, to rebuild their homes. Each applicant must go through an approval process in order to see if they qualify for the program. Once they have done that, a builder is assigned to their lot and they go out to survey the land and see what can be done with it geologically. The homeowner is then allowed to pick a plan for the house they would like to build. There are 28 plans to choose from, all with multiple elevation styles, as houses must now be raised. After their plan is picked, the building gets underway. The whole process, from the time the plan is picked to the time the house is completed, is supposed to take 21 days. The state government is working with numerous housing companies and project managers to run this program. One of the larger housing companies involved in this project is K. Hovnanian, a nationally recognized company

based out of Red Bank, New Jersey. During the preliminary stages of developing RREM, just a few months after Sandy, K. Hovnanian was one of the first companies to get involved. Francine Jordan, Director of Purchasing and Cost Management for K. Hovnanian’s Edison Group, explained that the company’s motivation to get involved stemmed from their local affiliation with the area. “These are our friends and our neighbors who this happened to. Even some people who work for the company were impacted.” Jordan acknowledges the slow process that comes with working with the government, citing multiple meetings that must happen before things can really start moving. But she says now that that is out of the way, things are beginning to happen. “We have actually met with two homeowners so far, and we will be starting their homes. And I think there are another seven, or so, behind them. So within the next three to four weeks we should see some work beginning.” The amount of homes K. Hovnanian could potentially be building through this program remains to be seen. As of now, there are 1500 homeowners with applications in. Jordan says that she foresees a majority of those applicants being approved for the grants. On top of that, K. Hovnanian has even started a separate program that aims to help those who can’t qualify for the RREM program. “We were just concerned because we heard (through the RREM program) from just a small portion of the people who need to rebuild. And just because some people don’t qualify for that program doesn’t mean we shouldn’t offer a resource for them as well,” Jordan said.

The program started by K. Hovnanian is called the Build on Your Lot program, and it operates in almost the same way as the RREM program. An assortment of homes are picked, based on the homes K. Hovnanian builds in other communities, and homeowners are able to choose a plan based on what is found when their lots are surveyed, as well as their financial means. Through this

“Just because some people don’t qualify for that program doesn’t mean we shouldn’t offer a resource for them as well.” program, K. Hovnanian is hoping to help the primary homeowners who do not meet the RREM criteria, as well as homeowners who are trying to rebuild vacation homes at the shore. “Most production builders don’t really participate in anything like this, but we’re taking it on,” Jordan said. The homes built by K. Hovnanian through RREM and Build on Your Lot will be located in all areas of New Jersey affected by the storm, including Monmouth, Atlantic and Ocean counties. These projects come with their challenges but Jordan is confident that K. Hovnanian is fully capable of making a difference for these homeowners. “Some companies are finding it a bit difficult and competitive, but if we have everything planned out ahead of time, we can definitely make it.”

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U.S FLOOD INSURANCE TRYING ROBERT KENNEDY TO STAY AFLOAT When superstorm Sandy hit the North Atlantic coastline in late October 2012, few could imagine the gravity and repercussions it would carry for future property owners and insurers of coastal areas in high-risk flood zones. The damages totaled in the billions while local and federal governments in response to those people affected by the storm, created a nation-wide sense of urgency. Though much of this urgency was short lived as it was soon realized that there was perhaps more patient waiting to be done, as home owners and local governments waited for upwards of months in some cases to receive relief funding. This relief funding is now a point of focus in the government as recently on March 21, 2014, President Obama signed the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 that repeals and modifies certain provisions of the BiggertWaters Flood Insurance Reform Act, which was enacted in July 2012. The initial act was part of a movement to force insurers and property owners to take more fiscal responsibility in the matter at hand. This was done by increasing the areas deemed to be high risk, therefor requiring certain flood insurance, removing and accounting for past subsidies along flood prone regions and lastly generally increasing the costs of insuring property in regions deemed dangerous by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In late October 2012 superstorm Sandy caused such damages, the prospect that NFIP would not be able to pay all

the resulting claims without borrowing additional funds from the Treasury arose. In January 2013, Congress, passed legislation to temporarily increase the NFIPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s borrowing authority by $9.7 billion, from $20.7 billion to $30.4 billion to address these claims. The NFIP is now in an even larger amount debt to the U.S. Treasury than before. As of July 2013, this debt stood at $24 billion. Recent field research from the coast of New Jersey revealed some of the changes being made by owners and contractors to deal with these new rules. The most apparent and commonly seen trend, a response to the increased cost introduced in the 2012 reform act, was home and business owners building on elevated foundations. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses an Elevation Certificate for properties to determine their potential flood risks and premiums. Most homes have data on their elevation already, but those without data will need to hire a state licensed surveyor to account for such data. The general rule of building property on higher elevation is a step that many constructors and property owners along the shore said could reduce their insurance cost by 25 percent annually. Other structural implementations such as breakaway walls and ventilated foundations are ways property owners can hope to cut rising insurance costs. Lastly to capstone this report lets look at recent claims of the scientific community in response to the on going threat of hurricanes, which cause major flooding. Both the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) agree that ocean levels are rising due to a general warming trend, and although some projections of data look a bit scary, that is not the point of my discussion.

The damages totaled in the billions... Sea levels are rising inevitably, estimates by the NOAA expects that anthropogenic warming by the end of the 21st century will likely cause more intense hurricanes on average with increased storm rain they bring by 20 percent. This coupled with data by the EPA, stating that the sea level will rise by two feet due to warming by 2100, we a now more than ever are posed with the question. How will we respond to living in areas prone to destruction by extreme weather? It is clear that a number of factors, including but not limited to, construction, political, and engineering will be crucial in our survival along dangerous coastlines.

POWER ISSUES AFTERNICKEE SANDY PLAKSEN Although Governor Chris Christie and his publicity team have desperately tried to convince the citizens of New Jersey that they are “Stronger than the Storm,” studies from J.D. Power, a global market research company, prove that most victims of this severely damaging storm disagree. Superstorm Sandy was reported to be the second-costliest hurricane in American history, accumulating an estimated $50 billion in damages. When the storm hit the United States’ Eastern coastline on Oct. 29, 2012, approximately 8.5 billion energy-consumers lost power in their homes. J.D. Power surveyed 5,900 residential customers in 31 utility regions who were impacted by superstorm Sandy. Out of those 5,900 Sandy victims surveyed, 43 percent experienced a power outage of 24 hours or longer. Among all power utility customers, the average duration of time spent without power was approximately 48 hours. J.D. Power broke down the overall emergency responsiveness between State Government, Local Government, Federal Government and electric utility companies. “Overall, the federal government does not receive high ratings from customers impacted by Hurricane Sandy. For utilities and local and state governments, the results are more mixed, with some receiving high ratings for their effectiveness of handling of the emergency and a few receiving low

ratings,” said John Hazen, senior director of the energy utility practice at J.D. Power and Associates. The three electric companies that were reported as the highestperforming utility companies in the study were Atlantic City Electric, Central Hudson Gas & Electric and PPL Electric Utilities. When it comes down to it, the ultimate issue in regard to natural disaster emergency response is the lack of preparedness among the electric companies as well as the government and its programs like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to research conducted by The Heritage Foundation, FEMA has not learned their lesson after disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf of Mexico’s oil spill. With Staten Island left to its own devices without any federal assistance, citizens began to criticize FEMA for its lack of communication, coordination and preparedness. One FEMA worker described, “a chaotic scene… officials at the staging area were unprepared and told the incoming responders there was nothing for them to do for nearly four days.” Michael Byrne, a FEMA federal coordinating officer even acknowledged: “I’m not going to say we couldn’t have done better.” According to Metropolis Magazine, there were reports of major

panic and anxiety due to the perceived lack of fuel in New York City. There were lines of people waiting for their rationed portion of gasoline, while others waited additional hours for commuter rails and transportation networks. “The shortage of gas led to a lack of food and services requiring gas to keep

...citizens began to criticize FEMA for its lack of communication, coordination and preparedness. them running,” wrote staff reporter, May Joseph. “Hurricane Sandy brought to light the extent of unpreparedness on the part of both the state and city governments in New York, despite warnings about the scale of the storm.” Ultimately, both New Jersey and New York did not have the funds to allocate towards natural disaster emergency relief, while FEMA could not respond quickly enough. Consumers were not satisfied with the response time and they were forced to deal with the situation with their own resources.

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NATIONAL RESPONSE TO A ALISA MILLER NATIONAL DISASTER Superstorm Sandy was the most destructive and deadly hurricane of 2012 in the United States. It was a Category 3 hurricane by the time it hit Cuba and was reduced to a Category 2 off the coast of the Northeastern United States. On the evening of Monday, October 29, superstorm Sandy hit southern New Jersey and the impact was felt throughout more than a dozen states. Communities in the New Jersey coastal counties of Ocean and Monmouth were hit the hardest, but the inland communities in Bergen County were affected just as much, according to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. After the storm, more than 23,000 people were forced to live in temporary shelters and 8.5 million customers were left without power, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency’s report Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts One Year Later. Roads and tunnels were flooded and debris was left strewn along the coastline. Efforts were put forth on both the national and local level to help the thousands of people who were left without a home after the storm. FEMA began monitoring the storm on Wednesday, October 24. On Friday, October 26 FEMA deployed Incident Management Assistance Teams to Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. FEMA Regional Administrators contacted state officials to coordinate emergency responses before the arrival of the storm. The U.S. National Guard was deployed to the states in Sandy’s path as well on Friday. On Saturday, October 27, FEMA activated the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC), which provides a central place for coordination of all federal response efforts.

On Sunday, October 28, President Obama signed emergency declarations for Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York allowing FEMA to provide resources to the different affected areas. One day later the President signed the predisaster emergency declarations for Delaware, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. More than 1,500 FEMA personnel were positioned along the East Coast to support disaster preparedness, response operations, search and rescue missions, situational awareness, and communications and logistical support. Before the storm, on Thursday October 25, the American Red Cross provided information encouraging New Yorkers to

Red Cross served both meals and snacks to more than 9 million people... prepare for superstorm Sandy. They released an app which sent out weather alerts and provided information related to Red Cross shelters. The app also came with a flashlight, strobe light and an alarm, as well as an “I’m Safe” button that alerts friends and family that you are well. Relief supplies such as cots, blankets, nonperishable goods, ready to eat meals, and snacks were given to shelters in the areas at risk. After the storm, FEMA removed more than 15 million cubic yards of debris, providing access to heavily impacted areas. According to their report, 95 percent of the trees, boats, furniture, appliances, and other debris littering the streets were removed in the first 100 days after the storm touched down. FEMA has also approved more than

2,400 projects aimed at removing debris from affected areas with a total cost of more than $1 billion, as well as providing assistance to first responders, delivering disaster supplies, removing water, and restoring power and fuel. Since then FEMA has continued to help with rebuilding affected areas through STEP (Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power), an initiative aimed at providing emergency home repairs and infrastructure repairs to waste water treatment plants, gas stations, drinking water facilities and sewers. They also restored hospital services, repaired schools, and helped to recover framework. The Red Cross made efforts during and after the storm to provide food, shelter, relief supplies, and comfort to the Americans that were affected by Sandy. More than 100 Red Cross emergency vehicles were mobilized to distribute meals and relief supplies. According to their website, the Red Cross served both meals and snacks to more than 9 million people, handed out more than 6.7 million relief items, provided more than 103,000 health services and emotional support contacts and supported more than 81,000 shelter strays. Many local efforts were put forth before and after the storm destroyed thousands of homes, displacing thousands of Americans. Occupy Sandy New Jersey is a “grassroots disaster relief network” which aims at providing aid to the different communities which were affected by the storm. Some of the different projects supported by Occupy Sandy include Worker Owned Rockaway Cooperatives (W.O.R.Cs.), Rockaway Wildfire, FLO Solutions, SI Unity Hub, Sandy Toolbox, and many more. For more information of how to get involved visit http://occupysandy.net/ projects/

LONG BEACH PD RESTORES THE ISLAND MANY CALL HOME MARISSA NICOLE PINA On Oct. 28, 2012, Governor Chris Christie issued a state of emergency for New Jersey. By 4 p.m., residents on Long Beach Island were forced to evacuate the area. Approximately 27 hours later superstorm Sandy hit the coast, leaving many of the towns that make up Long Beach Island in ruins a mere few hours later. Leading up to the day, Sandy was projected to make landfall, the United States government worked closely with the states of New Jersey, New York, and many others along the east coast to try and prepare for as much as they could. As reported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than 1,000 FEMA workers were dispatched along the east coast to be able to deal with damage right away. Along with many other islands off the coast of New Jersey, residents of Long Beach Island were left to their own devices as the storm approached and hoped that when they returned, their homes would still be in place. With thousands of government officials being poured into the east coast in anticipation for the worst storm in years, exactly who dealt directly with the Island? LBI is patrolled by the Long Beach Police Department patrols the area, and in 2012 it sent out almost all of its responders. These officers were responsible for making sure the Island was evacuated and those who chose to ride out the storm knew the dangers. The Long Beach Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services along with the Police Department set out to close off all accessible bridges throughout the duration of the storm. All personnel kept in contact with residents of Stafford Township through a series of press releases and news conferences. Having to patrol the area, help and search

for life, and keep residents off the island, the entire department was working around the clock for about two weeks after the storm. Through Local Township websites, the Police Department gave status reports on how the island was weathering through the storm. At one point during the storm, Beach Haven updated their website stating, “The situation here in Beach Haven is deteriorating rapidly, the storm has gained strength, if you have not already evacuated we advise you to do so now.” Once the streets became less obstructed to allow residents back in, police demanded that proof of residence be shown. A strict 6 p.m. curfew was also enforced throughout the Island. Residents were allowed back on the island, but Stafford Township made it clear that there would be no sewage, power or water for at least 10 days after they were granted reentry. During the day of re-entry, all of their time was consumed with clean up efforts alongside policemen and other volunteers. Entire homes had to be gutted and cleaned out, and some residents had to find a way to keep their homes warm during record low temperatures. With the help of the United States Army, Air Force, FEMA, Coast Guard, and other states, the Police Department was able to tackle one of their most challenging jobs to date. Officer Franks said that while most other towns were focused on returning residents to their property and cleaning up damage, LBI was concerned with the overall safety of the area for its residents. “As soon as we could, we cut the supply of natural gas to the town almost

immediately,” Franks said. “That’s why you had other towns up north having fires and explosions, because they didn’t shut the gas off.” Many of the safety precautions headed by the Long Beach Police Department aided in the clean up of Sandy’s aftermath. However, it has been 17 months after the storm hit the area, and homes are still missing first floors, pipes and g suitable living conditions. Redevelopment and the clean up efforts have been slowed down substantially due to insurance companies not paying out and making insurance rates higher for owners who do not comply with new rules.

“People are still waiting for insurance after a year and that’s why the island is still rebuilding,”

Even police officers of the Long Beach PD have felt the repercussions that still ring through the island due to insurance claims. “People are still waiting for insurance after a year and that’s why the island is still rebuilding,” Officer O’Cone said. “An employee who works here, she lives 20 blocks away from the station and after about a year she finally got insurance money for her house. And she’s still not back in her home today.” Hurricane Sandy pummelled the east coast and tore apart the lives of countless families. With the efforts of hard working Police, Firefighters, National Aid, and volunteers, the shore was able to lift itself back up in time for the 2013 summer beach season.

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Long Beach Police Department worked hard to restore Long Beach Island after superstorm Sandy hit in 2012. (MARISSA NICOLE PINA)

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The Long Beach Police Department boasts a motto of “Serving with Honor” on each patrol car. The department deployed every member in response to superstorm Sandy. (MARISSA NICOLE PINA)

HEALTHCARE BY CANDLELIGHT NAVEED AHSAN After superstorm Sandy surged through the New York Harbor and the rest of the mid-Atlantic region late October, the state has vigorously been trying to find new ways to improve the level of preparedness come time another tumultuous storm. At the time, hospitals in the surrounding area struggled to provide immediate care to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. According to Think Progress, medical professionals evacuated over 200 patients from two different New York City hospitals after the backup generators failed to function during a widespread blackout. Hospital employees and other emergency personnel were forced to relocate patients to alternate locations. Among these evacuated hospitals was NYU Langone Medical center, located near the East River. A total of 50 patients were transferred to Mt. Sinai Medical Center. The hospital was inundated with 15 million gallons of water. High-tech medical equipment and years of research were completely destroyed, a CBS report described. Fortunately, $149.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were donated towards the rebuilding of the hospital. Other closures included the Bellevue Hospital Center, the Manhattan VA Medical Center, and the Coney Island Hospital. Although there were no

fatalities, a commission was implemented by Governor Andrew Cuomo in order ensure more effective and rapid response for future natural disasters. The Disaster Readiness Commission was established in 2012. “Over the past two years, New York State has been hit by some of the most destructive storms in our state’s history, causing untold damage and the tragic loss of many lives,” Governor Cuomo said in his press release. “Regardless of the cause of these storms, New York State must undertake major reforms to adapt to the reality that storms such as Sandy, Irene, and Lee can hit the state at any time”. In addition to the Disaster Readiness Commission, the NYC 2100 and the NYS Respond were founded as well. The NYS 2100 Commission is responsible for finding methods to improve the state’s infrastructure during natural disasters or other related emergencies. The NYS Ready Commission focuses on finding ways improve the preparedness of critical systems and services such as the state’s health care, energy, transportations, communications, and others. Subways were deeply affected by Sandy as well, putting the city to a halt. The South Ferry subway, in Staten Island, a $500 million station, was completely destroyed and was not reopened until April 2013.

The A train in the Rockaways was also shut down for commuters. The station was finally restored, costing a total of $75 million dollars. Before another disaster hits the shores, defense methods have been unveiled of adding better security to subway stations like putting up walls around the stairwells of the station or closing entrances with inflatable plugs. It was South Ferry Station, in fact, that released a prototype in 2013.

Con Edison expects to spend $1 billion in storm protection over the next four years. In addition to subways, power grids were also severely crippled. According to an article by the New York Magazine, hundreds of thousands of Con Edison customers, in electric service in New York City, suffered days or even weeks without power. The widespread outages that plagued the city are now a thing of the past due to $400 million in improvements. In May 2013, it was announced that Con Edison expects to spend $1 billion in storm protection over the next four years. Similarly, the Long Island Power Authority’s plans post- Sandy is to increase power substations. Constructing concrete walls around the power substations are also in the works.

HELPING MAN’S DEAREST FRIENDS RANDI RAE FAIR The Monmouth County SPCA became a refuge for animals all over the County after superstorm Sandy. But long after the floodwaters receded, officials saw a new wave of necessity “In January we started to see a lot of people at temporary 30 day housing from FEMA who had exhausted those, or had run out of time at the motel they were at,” says Steve Arrison, animal care manager. “These places took them in at a moment’s notice. And they started to have to find alternative places.” The alternative for many pets became the shelters in Monmouth and Ocean counties and for many people it was their last hope, with several pet owners putting their cats and dogs up for adoption, in foster care, or in the case of Monmouth County, in boarding. “We had people coming in wanting to surrender their cats and dogs and we offered them our 30-day boarding even at that point. A year later, we still have a few animals here that have been surrendered to us and put up for adoption, and sadly, a few still trickle in every month. I don’t think we will see the end until everyone displaced by the storm has a permanent residence.” Arrison says he is aware of the feral dog and cat problem that New Orleans is currently facing because

of Hurricane Katrina. The pets that didn’t die in the storm were left to fend for themselves. After the storm, over

Vacant houses, houses on stilts, and tall weeds in empty lots provide refuge for stray dogs... 600,000 animals were killed or stranded because of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, many houses that sustained 6 to 15 feet of water were uninhabitable after the storm and were abandoned. Hurricane Katrina didn’t introduce stray dogs to New Orleans, but it certainly accelerated the problem. Today, much of the city looks as though it has not been touched since 2005, and the abandoned sections of New Orleans have been taken over by weeds, blight, and wild dogs. Vacant houses, houses on stilts, and tall weeds in empty lots provide refuge for stray dogs in the areas ravaged by Sandy. The animals have never been vaccinated, aren’t eating safe food, and are exposed to an unknown variety of diseases, posing a health hazard if they approach children, the elderly, or anyone not expecting to see a wild dog. The dogs reproduce in the vacant homes and blighted lots, and

since an adult dog can give birth to five to eight puppies twice a year, a fertile female stray exponentially adds to the population on the streets. In the months following Sandy animal groups and pet lovers did what they could to help the growing number of displaced cats and dogs. Some residents like Trish Lane of New Hampshire, started pages on social networks for lost-and-found pets. Lane is still diligently updating her Hurricane Sandy Lost and Found Pets Facebook page today. The situation may seem bleak but there is some hope for the abandoned creatures. As of November 2013 a little white cat named Joy was adopted; she was the last out of 300 animals at the Manhattan SPCA who was displaced by the storm. Her new guardian is fellow Sandy survivor Robert Curran. “She looked like she just needed some love and affection and a happy place to be,” said Curran. “I said, ‘You know what? I’m rebuilding my life. This cat needs help too.” While the situation persists despites these bright spots , the efforts of citizens and animal groups continue to put in to help these animals in a silver lining that shows the kindness of the human spirit.

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POLITICS

CHRISTIE V. LANGFORD: BATTLE ROYALE IN MATTHEW LEISTER ATLANTIC CITY The Atlantic City boardwalk and casinos stood abandoned as superstorm Sandy made landfall at 8 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2012.Officially, the storm hit in Brigantine, just north of Atlantic City, but the most powerful effects were felt up the New Jersey coast and into New York City. The damage that would be done was not yet known. Governor Chris Christie ordered an evacuation of all the beaches across the shore in preparation for the worst. Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford created an alternative for citizens; several shelters were established for residents who did not want to leave the city. The political attacks of character that would follow were a storm amongst themselves in a town that simply needed help from its leaders. “For those of you on the barrier islands who decided it was a better idea you wait this out than to evacuate, and for those elected officials who decided to ignore my admonition, this is now your responsibility. If you’re still able to hear me, we need you to hunker down and get to the highest point possible in the dwelling that you’re in. We will not be able to come and help you until daylight tomorrow. Please try to hunker down and stay safe until then.” - Gov. Christie addressing the citizens of Atlantic City

When Gov. Christie first took office on Jan. 19, 2010, one of the first things he wished to implement was a plan to turn around the tourism industry in Atlantic City, which was steadily declining due to the national and state economy.

The damage that would be done was not yet known. On July 21, 2010, Gov. Christie announced a plan to accomplish just that. The Atlantic City Strategic Planning Committee, the first collaboration between city and state officials, introduced a five-year plan to improve the tourism of the gaming city. The plan involved the state taking over affairs usually controlled by the city and splitting the city into two districts. One district would be the Tourism District, where funds and infrastructure would be used heavily in these areas while the more residential areas of the city would not get many of the same benefits. The plan also would create jobs, boost the economy, and put the city back on the destination map. Mayor Langford immediately became a vocal opponent of the plan. He was also in the minority. Langford linked the plan to South African apartheid and stated that creating geographical boundaries for the Tourism District

would be a form of segregation. Other issues include the state’s desire to hire 60 new police officers, paid for by the city, but controlled by the state. Gov. Christie did not take well to the criticism. Appearing on a local radio station, Christie referred to Langford as a “petulant child” who would hurt the growth of Atlantic City and the state solely to maintain an image of power in his mayoral position. Other local politicians and city leaders encouraged Langford to go along with the plan, but to no avail. Crime also became a hot-button issue for the two politicians. Atlantic City reached 15 homicides in September of 2012. During a speech in Jersey City on Oct. 9, Gov. Christie said that Langford “has failed, and he’s impossible to work with in any kind of significant way.” In response Langford wrote, “For the record, New Jersey is now home to ‘the most violent city in America,’” alluding to Camden. Langford went on to blame the ease to make and acquire handguns as the main reason for the escalation in crime, accusing the governor of doing very little to solve this fundamental problem.

Just a few short weeks later on Oct. 28, 2012, the Atlantic City casinos shut their doors in preparation for superstorm Sandy. “Atlantic City will look very different tomorrow and the next few days than it did yesterday and the day before. This is just a major situation, major damage,” Dr. Alan Blumberg, an oceanographer at the Stevens Institute of Technology, said. Mayor Langford announced several locations that would serve as shelters on the island in case of emergencies. Langford blamed the failed evacuation for the threat of Hurricane Irene, the previous year, as a main reason he believed many residents would not want to leave. “We want residents to take every precaution to get out of town if they can,” Langford said. “If they can’t or for whatever reason they won’t, then at least go to a shelter located in the city.” One of the shelters at the All Wars Memorial building was located just several blocks from the bay. When the flooding started the citizens were trapped. Gov. Christie held a widely viewed press conference where he addressed the issue. “For whatever reason, Mayor Langford urged people to stay in shelters in the city,” Christie said. “We’re at a moment now where evacuation is no longer possible and we’re no longer able to come and rescue people.”

“It’s just not acceptable conduct. Now I’m going to have federal and state emergency personnel going in there first thing tomorrow with live down electrical wires all over the place risking their lives. Because Mayor Langford was worried some of his people were angry? That’s not leadership everybody.”

After the storm, the casinos reopened within a week.

The National Guard was forced to rescue dozens of people from the All Wars Memorial building during the storm. No lives were lost in the incident. The media ran with the story of how the governor of the state and the mayor of a city could not cooperate to help the city’s citizens. Langford stated, “Whether we can get along on a personal level or not quite frankly is irrelevant.” Christie was quoted as saying, “I don’t have a feud with him, I just wish he’d do his job.” Christie again claimed that Langford was “impossible to work with.” Langford publicly asked Christie to show some humility. He felt that the governor calling him out on live television was the wrong thing to do and expected an apology that

would never come. “None of us are infallible, none of us are perfect, not even the governor.” After the storm, the casinos re-opened within a week. The main infrastructure was barely harmed. Having escaped much of the devastation that other shore towns felt due to the large sand dunes, Atlantic City was ready for business, but the people didn’t come. Many news sources including ABC News put together packages and stories discussing the desolation of the Atlantic City boardwalk. The misleading stories showcased a splintered section of the boardwalk that was only 50 feet in length and a residential section that was already in disrepair for years. These images ran on televisions and in newspapers and spread the word that Atlantic City fell to Sandy. Nationwide polls suggested that 41% of the population believed that the boardwalk had been destroyed. The livelihoods of over 40,000 employees in 12 casinos depended on the tourism industry. There was an immediate 28% drop in gaming revenue. By Memorial Day weekend, things began to look dire, as there was a 50% drop in hotel searches online compared to the year before. This trend continued straight into the summer as it held at 45% down.

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The situation was spiraling out of control as one in ten jobs in New Jersey depend on the tourism industry as well as $35 billion of the state economy. Atlantic City homeowners also submitted 9,215 insurance claims and received $132 million in property reimbursements. Enter the Atlantic City Alliance. This collection of casino owners and wealthy Atlantic City citizens teamed up with Gov. Christie to launch a $20 million advertising campaign to bring tourism back to Atlantic City. The “Do AC” ads heavily featured Gov. Christie who, along with Atlantic City officials, went to local attractions and destinations and performed ribbon-cutting ceremonies representing the grand reopening of the shore and casinos. The Tropicana, Revel, and Resorts Casino Hotel all added new amenities to bring in

new business as well. Seven months after Sandy arrived, the nation finally understood that the Atlantic City boardwalk was open for business. Mayor Langford was one of the few Atlantic City officials who did not take part in the ads. His principles still made it impossible for him to endorse the boost of tourism for the city while ignoring the residential areas.

votes cast. He was the head of the city’s Special Improvement District; the same company that had a hand in Gov. Christie’s five-year plan to bring tourism back to Atlantic City. He immediately vowed to improve relations with the governor. “I’m grateful that Lorenzo Langford is gone. That should be no shock to anyone,” Christie said. “I think he’s been a negative force for Atlantic City, I think he was a negative ...one in ten jobs in force for evacuation during Sandy… and so the New Jersey depend on Hurricane fact that the people of Atlantic the tourism industry. City have agreed with me that they need a new mayor, I think On Tuesday, Nov. 5, it is a good thing for the people 2013, Lorenzo Langford lost re- of Atlantic City.” election in a surprise decision. Don Guardian became the first openly gay mayor in Atlantic City as well as the first Republican to hold the office since 1990. Guardian won by only 162 votes with 6,100 total

WAVES ACROSS THE NATION: NATIONAL POLITICS REACT TO THE STORM DESMOND HESTER Superstorm Sandy could not have touched down on the East Coast of the United States at a better time; a little over a week before the Nation’s Presidential Election. When a Hurricane causes mass devastation to a community, the true intentions of our Nation’s leaders are sometimes brought to light, such as George Bush’s actions post-Hurricane Katrina. The people of New Orleans who did not (or could not) evacuate the city were left stranded for days at a time with little or no aid; it appeared as if very little effort was exhorted in fixing the problem and getting the city of New Orleans back on its feet. Seven years after Katrina, superstorm Sandy was on track to touchdown along the East coast on October 22, 2012, just a little over a week before the United States Presidential election of 2012. Natural disasters always seem to spark political controversies, and superstorm Sandy was no different. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, was one of the hot topics of debate. A year prior, Romney suggested the elimination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Editors at The New York Times summarized their view of Romney’s primary position on FEMA, “Mr. Romney not only believes that states acting independently can handle the response to a vast East Coast storm better than Washington, but that profit-making companies can do an even better job. He said it was ‘immoral’ for the federal government to do all these things if it means increasing the debt” (New York Times). If that information alone was

not enough to spark controversy, two days following the New York Times statement, Governor Romney’s campaign released a statement on his behalf which said: “I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with states and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters... As president, I will ensure FEMA has the funding it needs to fulfill its mission, while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disasters”. Romney’s contradiction over the importance in FEMA at such a tender time

“If you hadn’t had the storm, there would have been more of a chance for the Romney campaign...” in the United States may have been a cause for loss in voters along the East coast, and quite possibly the entire country. Many Republican leaders believed that superstorm Sandy helped Obama politically. Republican political strategist Karl Rove, who was the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to George W. Bush, stated that the hurricane took the Nations focus off of the economic issues, which many felt Romney had the upper hand in. “If you hadn’t had the storm, there would have been more of a chance for the Romney campaign to talk about the deficit, the debt, the economy. There was a stutter in the campaign,” Rove told the Washington

Post. “When you have attention drawn away to somewhere else, to something else, it is not to his advantage”. He also stated that Obama had temporarily been bi-partisan during the hurricane, playfully labeling him “Comforter-in-Chief ”. Another event that took the country by storm is when President Obama toured New Jersey to view the damage from the hurricane with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is openly Republican. Christie publicly praised Obama for his postSandy efforts and support. He mentioned that Obama gave him a direct telephone line, and told him to call if and when he needed anything. Christie said that he and Obama remained in constant contact for a couple days following the storm, and that “anything he has asked for, the President got for him”. Many Republicans frowned upon the relationship between Christie and Obama, while most Democrats accepted it. Superstorm Sandy became Chris Christie’s defining moments as a political leader. People who knew nothing of him, most likely know about him now if they watched any news publication around the time of storm. Some admired his integrity, and witty comments, while others questioned his leadership ability. Christie has gained so many followers after superstorm Sandy that it is rumored that he will run for the Republican elect for the Presidential election of 2016. Natural disasters almost always create drama in the world of Politics, and Sandy most certainly did not disappoint.

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CHRISTIE UNDER FIRE FOR MISAPPROPRIATION OFHARRISON FUNDS BRINK New Jersey governor, Chris Christie has recently been accused of using New Jersey tax dollars, that could go toward relief for superstorm Sandy victims, to benefit his own political campaign. Christie’s “Stronger than the Storm” campaign is meant to encourage tourism in New Jersey’s many shoreline communities and bring money back into the state. The ads feature Christie and his family offering words of encouragement and saying that “the Jersey shore is open.” But the ads have led to some speculation from Christie’s critics, however, as the commercials featuring the Christie family came out during an election year. It is believed that, in order to be featured in the commercial along with his family, Christie spent more tax dollars than was necessary. One piece of evidence being investigated by federal officials is that Christie’s administration spent $4.7 million on an ad campaign that featured Christie and his family while the next highest bid was a $2.5 million campaign ad that did not feature the Christie’s; almost half as much. In an interview with CNN, New Jersey Democratic Representative Frank Pollone stated, “this was money that could have directly been used for Sandy recovery and, as you know, many of my constituents still haven’t gotten

the money that is owed them to rebuild their homes or raise their homes or to help.”

Christie’s administration spent $4.7 million on an ad campaign. With all of the destruction caused by Sandy and the people who are still displaced from the storm, it is understandable that this suspicion would arise and that people would want it investigated further. According to CNN, Pollone explained, “The inspector general conducted a preliminary review and concluded there was enough evidence to launch a full-scale investigation into the state’s use of federal funds. The audit will take several months and the findings will be issued in an official report.” Pollone, who requested the federal investigation of Christie’s spending, believes that Christie used the ad campaign in order to further his own political agenda. This belief is shared by many members of the Democrat party who say that the ads gave Christie an unfair advantage in the election as the incumbent governor of New Jersey. For Christie, whose swift action after the storm made him a

prospective Republican candidate for president in 2016, these allegations could prove detrimental to his political ambitions if found to be true. According to CNN, Christie’s office responded, saying, “the “Stronger than the Storm” campaign was part of an “action plan” approved by the Obama administration and developed with the goal of showing that the New Jersey shore was open for business just several months after the storm.” Additionally, his office claimed, “Federal agency reviews are routine and standard operating procedure with all federally allocated resources to ensure that funds are distributed fairly. We’re confident that any review will show that the ads were a key part in helping New Jersey get back on its feet after being struck by the worst storm in state history.” There is a possibility that the price of the ad campaign was necessary or that the price was overlooked given the circumstances in New Jersey at the time, but as of right now, Christie is under heavy political and media fire and is the subject of a great deal of public scrutiny. For a man looking to become the President of the United States, these allegations will create a picture in voter’s heads that is hard to change.

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A SUMMARY OF THE STORM HUA ZONG Superstorm Sandy made its landfall on Oct. 29, 2012. At its highest, the wind speed of Sandy reached 115.2 mph according to the Tropical Cyclone Report. Rainfall totals reached 10.2 inches over the open water of the Atlantic Ocean and more than seven inches on land along the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to South Carolina, according to statistical analysis from NASA. The highest tide climbed to about 14 feet in New York City and New Jersey also from the Tropical Cyclone Report. It was the most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season and it is the second costliest hurricane in the United States since the 1900 hurricane in Galveston, Texas. During superstorm Sandy’s immediate aftermath, more than 23,000 people sought refuge in temporary shelters in schools, recreation centers and churches. More than 8.5 million customers lost power according to documents produced by New Jersey Municipal Services. The storm flooded numerous roads and tunnels, blocked transportation corridors, and deposited large amounts of debris along the coastline. The torrential rainfall and floodwater created problems with drinking water, contaminating several local sources for residents. On Oct. 31, 2012, the US Environmental Protection Agency took four samples in the Gowanus Canal in New York City and analyzed them for bacteria and 139 other chemicals and pollutants according to the EPA’s water quality report. On Nov. 30, 2012, New York City confirmed that the city waterways were safe for human consumption after two weeks of water quality testing. One month after Sandy struck, New Jersey State governor Chris Christie announced a total assessment of the damage sustained

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by New Jersey during the hurricane reached $36.9 billion. From the total assessment, $29.4 billion covered the reparation of housing units, businesses, transportation and the state’s tourism industry while $7.4 billion covered mitigation and prevention costs. In New York, governor Andrew Cuomo said the state would need $41.9 billion; $32.8 billion to repair and restore damaged housing, parks and infrastructure and $9.1 billion to mitigate potential damage. In Christie’s announcement, he claimed, “As we rebuild, it is my promise to ensure that 3, 6, or 12 months from now, I will demand the same level of effort, attention and results from government as I have in the last 30 days to recover from Sandy – and to make us stronger, more resilient, and more prepared for future disasters than ever before.” The whole recovery is still in process and one year after superstorm Sandy, the Huffington Post released the data of its impact, New Jersey

“As we rebuild, it is my promise to ensure that 3, 6, or 12 months from now, I will demand the same level of effort.”

later after Hurricane Sandy, $5.6 billion in aid has been paid out to New Jersey Storm Victims ($3.5 billion from the National Flood Insurance Program and $415 million in FEMA grants to individuals or households). • Overall, there are 328,946 insurance claims adding up to $1.56 billion, including 54,642 auto insurance claims ($530 million). • The National Flooding Insurance Program offered $3.1 billion for 70,787 residential flooding insurance claims. New York City • The damage is estimated at $19 billion, including all private, public, and indirect costs. • About 305,000 housing units are damaged or destroyed. • The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $1 billion to assist families whose property was damaged or destroyed ($855 million to help survivors with home repairs and temporary rental costs and $145 million with other uninsured hurricane related expenses, such as personal property, transportation, medical or dental costs, funeral costs, and moving costs). • There are 501,447 insurance claims, adding up to $2.1 billion, including 189,833 auto insurance claims ($1.5 billion). • The National Flooding Insurance Program offered $3.2 billion for 54,984 residential flooding insurance claims.

• Total business losses are estimated at $8.3 billion. Nearly 19,000 small businesses sustained minimal to extreme damage. • 346,000 housing units in New Jersey were damaged or destroyed. • Until Oct. 29, 2013, one year

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LIST OF SOURCES

FOREWARD http://www.midatlantichurricanes.com/NewJersey.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4AxAvU6PpA http://www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-recovery http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/history/

WALLACE HARDWARE: BETTER PREPARED THAN MOST Phil Conine Interview

THE STORM Kelsey Dubinsky Interview

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STAYING AFLOAT: THE STORY OF THE SEAHORSE HOTEL http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/hurricane-sandy-impact-infographic_n_4171243.html#slide=1711547 http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/sandyfinal101713.pdf http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/19/us-usa-storm-newjersey-idUSBRE93I0SG20130419 http://usstrong.us/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/USstrong_ExtremeWeather_FINAL_Links.pdf

SEASIDE BUSINESS OWNERS STAY OPTIMISTIC DURING RENOVATIONS Charlotte Jacobson and Courtney Marabella Interview

MEET THE “MAYOR”: GARY MACK OF SEASIDE HEIGHTS Courtney Marabella Interview

THE ROCKAWAYS ROCK AGAIN AFTER THE SUPERSTORM Alexis Wright-Whitley and Susan Dong Interview

THE STORY OF THE SURF: NEW JERSEY’S SHAKEN UP SURF CULTURE http://vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters2012 http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/03/jersey_surfers_ride_ big_waves.html http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f ?p=gnispq:3:0::NO::P3_ FID:1852966 Patrick McPeak Interview

COMMUTING 1000 MILES TO WORK Marissa Pina Interview

REBUILDING HIS DREAM: CHUCK SLATER OF SHIP BOTTOM Maggie Andresen Interview

NJ-BASED HOUSING DEVELOPER AIMS TO HELP SANDY VICTIMS http://www.renewjerseystronger.org/rrem

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U.S FLOOD INSURANCE TRYING TO STAY AFLOAT http://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance-reform https://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/bw-12.jsp http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1909-25045-0554/ bw12_sec_205_207_factsheet4_13_2013.pdf http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1912-25045-8239/ bw_timeline_table_04172013.pdf http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/global-warming-and-hurricanes http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/future.html http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/risk/library/WRCib2013d_Affordability_NFIP.pdf

NATIONAL RESPONSE TO A NATIONAL DISASTER http://occupysandy.net/projects/

LONG BEACH PD RESTORES THE ISLAND MANY CALL HOME http://beachhaven-nj.gov/public-safety/hurricane-sandy-storm-updates/ http://www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-timeline http://twp.stafford.nj.us/images/uploads/departments/police/ press%20release% http://twp.stafford.nj.us/images/uploads/departments/police/ press%20release% http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/post-sandy-building-boomheats-up-on-jersey-shore/ Marissa Pina Interview

HEALTHCARE BY CANDLELIGHT

http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/11152012-Emergency-Preparedness http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/news/governor-cuomo-namesirwin-redlener-new-york-state-ready-commission http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/05/new-york-hurricane-preparations-sandy-summer.html

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HELPING MAN’S DEAREST FRIENDS Interview with Steve Arrison, animal care manager at Monmouth SPCA “7 Years After Katrina, New Orleans is Overrun by Wild Dogs.” The Atlantic, August 24, 2012. “Hundreds of Hurricane Sandy Pets Remain Homeless and Lost”. Pawnation, October 2013. “Last of Sandy’s Stray Kittens Adopted.” USA Today, November 2013.

CHRISTE V. LANGFORD: BATTLE ROYALE IN ATLANTIC CITY Baxter, Christopher. “Atlantic City Mayor Says Gov. Chris Christie Should Admit Mistake In Post-Sandy Criticism.” The Star-Ledger. 29 Oct. 2012. Baxter, Christopher. “Gov. Christie Blasts A.C. Mayor for Keeping Residents in Path of Hurricane Sandy.” The Star-Ledger. 29 Oct. 2012. Bello, Grace. “Six Months After Sandy, Atlantic City is Betting on a Comeback.” NBC News. 27 April 2013. Clark, Michael. “Christie Says Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford ‘Should Be Ashamed of Himself ’ for Calling Tourism Plan an Apartheid.” The Atlantic City Press. 1 Feb. 2011. Cohen, Lynda. “Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford Responds To Governor Chris Christie’s Recent Criticism.” The Atlantic City Press. 19 Oct. 2012. Katz, Matt. “Christie Criticizes Atlantic City Mayor’s Response.” The Philadelphia Inquirer. 30 Oct. 2012. Murphy, Eliza. “Hurricane Sandy Destroys Section of Atlantic City Boardwalk.” ABC News. 30 Oct. 2012. Portney, Jenna. “Christie Said He’s ‘Grateful’ Atlantic City Mayor Lost Re-Election.” The Star-Ledger. 6 Nov. 2013. “Most Finally Believe That Sandy Didn’t Destroy Atlantic City Boardwalk, Poll Says.” The Associated Press. 28 May 2013.

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CHRISTE V. LANGFORD: BATTLE ROYALE IN ATLANTIC CITY

“GOP Candidate Dom Guardian Wins Atlantic City Mayoral Race.” The Associated Press. 6 Nov. 2013. “Governor Chris Christie is Pissed: Blames Atlantic City Mayor for Stranded People – Hurricane Sandy.” Mr. Viral News. 29 Oct. 2012.

WAVES ACROSS THE NATION: NATIONAL POLITICS REACT TO THE STORM http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/11/rove-sandy-helpedobama-148255.html http://www.thewire.com/politics/2012/10/5000-shopping-runwalmart-turned-romneys-campaign-stop-relief-event/58529/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/10/29/ how-superstorm-sandy-became-chris-christies-defining-moment/ http://www.mediaite.com/tv/chris-christie-praises-obamas-hurricane-sandy-response-scoffs-idea-of-mitt-romney-nj-visit/ http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/politics/christie-feds-investigating-sandy-ads/

A SUMMARY OF THE STORM http://www.fema.gov/hurricane-sandy-recovery http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/hurricane-sandy-impact-infographic_n_4171243.html www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121101172152.html. http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/552012/approved/20121128e.html http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL182012_Sandy.pdf http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/26/15463835-newyork-new-jersey-put-71-billion-price-tag-on-sandy?lite http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/em/html/water/water.shtml

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CONTRIBUTORS

ALEXIS WRIGHT-WHITLEY ALISA MILLER CHARLOTTE JACOBSON COURTNEY MARABELLA DANIEL PELLIGRINE DANIELLE PARSONS DESMOND HESTER EMILY GANSER HARRISON BRINK HUA ZONG INDIRA JIMENEZ KATHRYN STELLATO

KELSEY DUBINSKY MAGGIE ANDRESEN MARISSA NICOLE PINA MATTHEW LEISTER RANDI RAE FAIR NAVEED AHSAN NICKEE PLAKSEN PATRICK MCPEAK PHIL CONINE ROBERT KENNEDY SUSAN DONG 109

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